


Minor Delay

by Coalmine301



Series: Whumptober 2020 [6]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Feigned Normalcy, Gen, Held at Gunpoint, Modern AU, Not beta read we die like clones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:41:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26433568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coalmine301/pseuds/Coalmine301
Summary: "Yeah, I’m alright,” Obi-wan lied. “There’s been a minor delay, nothing more."
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Xanatos, Padmé Amidala & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: Whumptober 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908538
Comments: 6
Kudos: 84





	Minor Delay

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place right after [this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26273974).

“Miss me, my dear?”

Obi-wan couldn’t breathe. His chest rapidly rose and fell in panicked breaths but no air reached his lungs. Those indigo eyes pinned him to his seat like a butterfly impaled in a display case.

Xanatos was supposed to be locked away behind iron bars, imprisoned for his actions. And despite the early paranoia Obi-wan has slowly started to relax. Had started to feel safe with his friends and family there to protect him.

So why was he here, once more trapped in Xanatos’ iron grasp? Trapped with no one able to hear him scream. 

At last the older man turned back to face the road. The action did nothing to aleve Obi-wan’s terror. Nor did it stop those dark eyes from watching him in the mirror. 

A painful silence filled the vehicle as Xanatos expertly pulled onto the highway.

“H-how did you get out?” The redhead stammered, eyes wide in fear. He almost didn’t want to know the answer.

“I have friends in high places. Very high places,” Xanatos replied. “My dear Obi-wan,” the chuckle that followed turned his blood to ice. “Did you really think you were safe from me.”

He had. He truly had thought he was out of the dark haired man’s reach, considering the latter had been locked away in a state of the art prison. 

Not that it did anything to change his current predicament. If anything it just made it sting more.

“I’m not afraid of you,” he spat, trying to sound braver than he felt.

And of course Xanatos sensed his lie. “Oh, sweetie, we both know that’s not true.”

For a second Obi-wan thought the older man could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears. It was so loud, it had to have been audible… right?

Silence filled the vehicle after that, broken only by the cheerful clicking of Xanatos’s turn signal for every lane change. At least he was following traffic laws. Although, admittedly, that was only a very small comfort. 

Gradually the redhead realized he could move again. Apparently du Crion assumed he was still paralyzed with fear and had focussed his attention abc to the road where it belonged.

Slowly Obi-wan began working his hands towards the seat belt buckle. If his plan was to work it was crucial his kidnapper didn’t notice. 

Even going as slow as he could, the buckle made a quiet snap. Fortunately Xanatos was too busy cussing out a driver in the other lane to notice. It would have been almost humorous had the circumstance been different.

The belt slowly retreated back into the slot nestled in the seat. All without du Crion noticing. So far so good. 

The redhead pressed his face against the window, staring out into the murk beyond. If he remembered right then up ahead the road crossed some kind of creek. And just under the bridge was sheltered enough to hide him from sight and let him get away… hopefully. 

The redhead glanced out the window, watching semi-familiar landmarks rush by, lit only by yellow street lights. He settled a hand on the door buckle, waiting in tense anticipation for the right time. 

“W-why are you doing this?” Obi-wan stammered. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. 

Obi-wan slammed the door with his shoulder and tumbled out onto the highway. He slammed painfully against the pavement and rolled several times before he was able to push himself up. 

For a second all Obi-wan could only lay there as the pain -much more than he had anticipated- hit him. Fortunately there hardly seemed to be any other cars on the road. Less risk of him being turned into an impromptu speed bump. 

With a growl Obi-wan hauled himself up to shaky feet. He didn’t have time to lay in the middle of the highway. He needed to get himself out of here.

The redhead vaulted over the concrete barrier, quickly ducking under the cement bridge. The structure rumbled with the occasional car roaring by. 

With shaking hands Obi-wan just barely managed to type in 911. If he could just get a call in, contact Officer Fett.. 

“Don’t you dare call the police.”

The redhead looked up to see Xanatos making his way down the concrete slope towards him. In calloused hands the man wielded a threatening-looking rifle, the barrel pointed right at Obi-wan’s heart.

Carefully he tilted the screen to give the dark haired man a good view as he deleted the typed out digits. So close and yet so far.

Steadily Xanatos stalked forward, the firearm’s barrel never leaving its intended aim. 

“Can-can I at least call my friends and let them know I’ll be late,” Obi-wan stammered. Xanatos paused, head cocked to the side as he seemed to consider it. A good sign. “It’ll give you more time to get away,” the teen hastily explained. If the others expected him to show up later, they wouldn’t start looking for him as soon as they normally would.

“Three minutes or less,” he grunted. “And don’t try to signal them.”

“I won’t,” Obi-wan promised, his mouth suddenly dry.

But who to call? Anakin was probably passed out drunk at this point and Ahsoka occupied with drawing all over his face. Qui-gon was still recovering from his injury and the last thing Obi-wan wanted was to stress out his father even more. His mothers either.

His fingers sought out Padme’s contact and brought his phone up to his ear on their own. 

“Obi-wan, is everything alright?” 

The concern in his friend’s voice was enough to make the lump in his throat bigger. “Yeah, I’m alright,” he lied. “There’s been a minor delay, nothing more. Traffic is backed up here.”

“Traffic? At this time of night?” He could practically hear the brunette’s raised eyebrow in her voice.

She was onto him.

Xanatos tok a menacing step forward. The rifle’s barrel was now pressed up against the side of his head. He didn’t trust the dark look in the older man’s eyes enough to try his luck.

He swallowed dryly before continuing on. “Who knows, maybe there’s another Britney Spears concert tonight. You should ask Anakin, he’d know.” 

Silent tears creeped their way down his face. It was a miracle they didn’t seem to show in his vice

The brunet gave a breathy chuckle at the jest. Their friend had an interesting taste in music.

“He’s passed out on the floor right now, but I’ll ask him later for you,” Padme admitted. “Don’t be too late, now. I don’t really want to come pick you up off the side of the road again.” She said that almost every time, yet when any of them needed help or just a ride she was one of the first to show up.

“Won’t be a problem,” Obi-wan replied cheerfully. 

And it wasn’t a total lie. She certainly wouldn’t have to worry about picking him up tonight…

Rescue was so close yet so far away.

Obi-wan was totally unprepared for the sob that suddenly tore its way from his chest. 

From the concern in her voice Padme hadn’t either. “Obi-wan, are you ok?!”

“Oh dear,” Obi-wan muttered, scrubbing at his leaking eyes. “I think I must have had too much to drink.” He gave a groan to further sell the illusion. “I think it’s all hitting me at once.”

“I’m not sure that’s how alcohol works.”

He only gave a weary groan in response.

Padme seemed satisfied with that answer for she gave an amused huff. “Just how much did you drink?”

“I love you,” he sobbed out. No one would doubt him spewing something emotional like that if he was drunk. 

Any goodbye was better than none at all. Even one semi-coherent and sloppy as the one he gave. So better he say it now before it was too late. 

“I love you too, buddy.”

“Tell the others I love them too.”

“I will, Obi-wan,” Padme promised, trying and failing valiantly to keep the amusement from her voice. “Try not to vomit in the Uber, buddy.” And with that encouraging farewell she hung up. 

Obi-wan reluctantly pulled the phone from his ear and the barrel retreated from the side of his skull. He knew he should probably feel relief at that, but if anything his dread intensified. 

Pale fingers met no resistance as they pried his phone from his own.

“See, was that so hard?” Xanatos purred disgustingly.

Obi-wan silently watched as the device landed with a splash in the creek 

A firm hand on his arm hauled him up and guided him back to the van. Obi-wan offered no resistance. Not even as Xanatos took his sweet time making sure the redhead was buckled in nice and secure in the passenger seat.

All he could do was stare out the window. That and valiantly try to push down the rising dread that grew with every turn of the tires. 

A sign zipping by read “Welcome to Arlington” in far too cheerful letters. 

And with every turn of the wheels Obi-wan was drifting further and further away from home. From his friends.

Distantly he wondered how long it would take them to notice he really was missing. Most likely not until morning after they woke up and he still hadn’t arrived. Plenty of time for Xanatos to do whatever he wanted. 

And Obi-wan knew there was nothing he could do to stop him.

**Author's Note:**

> Quick note: I didn't really intend for "Arlington" to be any particular Arlington. I just chose that name because it was one of the most common town names in the Excited States of America (as my dad calls it).  
> But if you'd prefer to imagine Xan taking Obi-wan to Texas or Virginia or wherever be my guest.


End file.
